2 ms·

If they are to be deployed on battelfields I'm against it. But for domestic use, please, do it faster :)

iNane9000 5y ago
I don’t think you can have one and not the other. I may be too pessimistic but I would guess other nations will steal this technology and not be so encumbered by their concerns for the environment.
- simplyinfinity 5y ago
  The sooner everyone has source of clean energy, the sooner we can stop global warming. Yes, NK can steal the designs, but so what? Like something stopped them from making a nuke.
  - stuff4ben 5y ago
    LOL! That's actually a neat way to combat climate change. "Oh no, you've stolen my nuclear-powered, clean-energy reactor and you have to shut down your coal-fired plants because they're so inefficient now... anyways" Seriously though, from what I read, these can't be used to make weapons, so it's actually a win/win if they get used or stolen.
    - iNane9000 5y ago
      “ these can't be used to make weapons, so it's actually a win/win if they get used or stolen.” I don’t know anything about it, but I worry about who is making those safety assessments and what their conflicts and incentives are. It seems like a lot of things can be weaponized or used to nefarious purposes. I can imagine a portable energy source having a lot of potential uses, say powering small sea craft or whatever.
    - simplyinfinity 5y ago
      From my understanding, most?(if not all) types of reactors can produce _some_ materials to make a bomb to varying degrees of dirtiness/nukenes with varying degrees of difficulty of doing so. Those smaller reactors will definitely have to be guarded.
      - stuff4ben 5y ago
        This is a different type of reactor using a different type of fuel. FTFA: "The concept for the reactors began with the requirement that they would run off of tristructural isotropic particle fuel, or TRISO...Each TRISO particle is made up of a uranium, carbon and oxygen fuel kernel which is encapsulated by three layers of carbon- and ceramic-based materials that prevent the release of radioactive products" and then further down... "The fuel has two secondary benefits...the first being its resiliency to proliferation which can help deter the reactors from being targets for bombings or attacks.”
    - imtringued 5y ago
      Reminds me of a German story: "In Germany, the story about how Frederick the Great was responsible for bestowing “potato happiness” on his subjects is well known. King of Prussia form 1740 to 1772, he is still referred to as “Alte Fritz” (Old Fritz) to this day. It is said that he ordered soldiers to guard a field of field of potatoes, ostensibly to protect this highly precious crop. Their curiosity aroused, the local farmers, who had up till then showed no interest in cultivating potatoes, stole some of them and started growing them themselves – or so the story goes." https://www.alumniportal-deutschland.org/en/germany/eating-drinking/kartoffel/ https://www.alumniportal-deutschland.org/en/germany/eating-d...
  - mytailorisrich 5y ago
    This is something to be used on the battefield, in remote locations, or during disaster relief operations. Whether it is 'clean' energy is not that important because that's really a niche, punctual use-case. The key advantage seems to be that it can be deployed, turned on, then left to run without refuelling for literally years whereas diesel obviously requires constant refuelling. The key disadvantage is that IMHO it may be big risk, especially in hostile territory because... well nuclear.
drran 5y ago
> If they are to be deployed on battelfields I'm against it. I assume, you will fart in their general direction.

I don’t think you can have one and not the other. I may be too pessimistic but I would guess other nations will steal this technology and not be so encumbered by their concerns for the environment.

simplyinfinity 5y ago
The sooner everyone has source of clean energy, the sooner we can stop global warming. Yes, NK can steal the designs, but so what? Like something stopped them from making a nuke.
- stuff4ben 5y ago
  LOL! That's actually a neat way to combat climate change. "Oh no, you've stolen my nuclear-powered, clean-energy reactor and you have to shut down your coal-fired plants because they're so inefficient now... anyways" Seriously though, from what I read, these can't be used to make weapons, so it's actually a win/win if they get used or stolen.
  - iNane9000 5y ago
    “ these can't be used to make weapons, so it's actually a win/win if they get used or stolen.” I don’t know anything about it, but I worry about who is making those safety assessments and what their conflicts and incentives are. It seems like a lot of things can be weaponized or used to nefarious purposes. I can imagine a portable energy source having a lot of potential uses, say powering small sea craft or whatever.
  - simplyinfinity 5y ago
    From my understanding, most?(if not all) types of reactors can produce _some_ materials to make a bomb to varying degrees of dirtiness/nukenes with varying degrees of difficulty of doing so. Those smaller reactors will definitely have to be guarded.
    - stuff4ben 5y ago
      This is a different type of reactor using a different type of fuel. FTFA: "The concept for the reactors began with the requirement that they would run off of tristructural isotropic particle fuel, or TRISO...Each TRISO particle is made up of a uranium, carbon and oxygen fuel kernel which is encapsulated by three layers of carbon- and ceramic-based materials that prevent the release of radioactive products" and then further down... "The fuel has two secondary benefits...the first being its resiliency to proliferation which can help deter the reactors from being targets for bombings or attacks.”
  - imtringued 5y ago
    Reminds me of a German story: "In Germany, the story about how Frederick the Great was responsible for bestowing “potato happiness” on his subjects is well known. King of Prussia form 1740 to 1772, he is still referred to as “Alte Fritz” (Old Fritz) to this day. It is said that he ordered soldiers to guard a field of field of potatoes, ostensibly to protect this highly precious crop. Their curiosity aroused, the local farmers, who had up till then showed no interest in cultivating potatoes, stole some of them and started growing them themselves – or so the story goes." https://www.alumniportal-deutschland.org/en/germany/eating-drinking/kartoffel/ https://www.alumniportal-deutschland.org/en/germany/eating-d...
- mytailorisrich 5y ago
  This is something to be used on the battefield, in remote locations, or during disaster relief operations. Whether it is 'clean' energy is not that important because that's really a niche, punctual use-case. The key advantage seems to be that it can be deployed, turned on, then left to run without refuelling for literally years whereas diesel obviously requires constant refuelling. The key disadvantage is that IMHO it may be big risk, especially in hostile territory because... well nuclear.

drran 5y ago

> If they are to be deployed on battelfields I'm against it. I assume, you will fart in their general direction.